Collections

The ancient and valuable items held by the museum are
systematically organized into several collections. The Prehistoric,
Classical (Greek and Roman), and Mediaeval Collections follow the
usual chronological system of all European museum departments. The
museum also contains an Egyptian Collection, the only one in this
region, as well as a Numismatic Collection that is one of the
largest in Europe and beyond. As a whole, most of the material is
of local provenience, from regions historically belonging to
Croatia, although the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb, in contrast
to similar museums in Croatia, also contains rich collections and
individual monuments of foreign origin. Along with the already
mentioned Egyptian Collection and a large segment of the Numismatic
Collection, several important collections of Greek and Roman
artifacts come from foreign lands. These include an important
collection of Grecian painted vases from southern Italy and Greece,
a valuable collection of stone monuments of Italic provenience -
sculptures, reliefs, inscriptions, etc. - formerly in the
possession of Count Laval Nugent, and in particular the famed
wrapping of the Zagreb mummy, the Etruscan "linen book" of Zagreb
(Liber linteus Zagrabiensis).

In addition to the various departments dealing directly with the
archaeological collections, the Archaeological Museum contains one
of the most extensive archaeological libraries in Croatia. The
conservation laboratory should also be mentioned, capable for the
most part of protecting and preserving the specific types of
archaeological material held by the museum, as well as aiding
similar institutions as much as possible.